3 Website Upgrades You Must Make

If you’re looking to impress prospective employers with your personal website, the latest research suggests you may have less time than you think to get them hooked.

When viewing a website for the first time, it takes an individual less than two-tenths of a second to form a first impression, says recent research conducted at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Using eye-tracking technology, the researchers had 20 individuals look at 25 never-before-seen websites and found that it takes an individual roughly 2.6 seconds to land on the area that most influences their first impression.

And what’s more, users only spent an average of 19.20 seconds on the site after forming their first impressions.

If you have less than 20 seconds to show someone what you have to offer, what areas of your page really need to shine? Here’s what the research found: The subjects spent the most time checking out the main menu, followed the body of the website, the bottom of the site (footer), the social networking links, the logo, the search box, and the main picture.

So now that you know where your viewers are looking first, it may be time for an upgrade. We reached out to Thomas J. Bradley—a professor at the School of Media and Design at Algonquin College—to elaborate on three quick fixes you can change to make your site more compelling.

Your Color Scheme

“Certain colors affect people in specific ways: blue is traditional and corporate, green is relaxing and natural, red is powerful and energetic,” says Bradley. “It’s often best to choose a color that will resonate with your audience the most, unless you want to dramatically stand out from the crowd of your competitors.” Just don’t go overboard. Too many colors will turn off users just as quickly as boring colors, says Bradley. Focus on a solid three and make sure they contrast—for example, light backgrounds with dark text or vice versa promote good readability. That’ll be important in case users have reduced vision or color blindness.

Your Fonts

Stick with one or two different fonts—you don’t want to overwhelm your readers. “For the main content of the page, stick to something simple that’s legible at small sizes,” says Bradley. “For headings and attention-grabbing pieces, typefaces with more impact are great.” Choose a display font that matches your brand and the message you’re trying to convey, says Bradley. A few no-fail fonts: Georgia, which is often seen as elegant but not too traditional. Arial and Verdana are seen as modern and simple. And lastly, Times New Roman, seen as very traditional. “These fonts are specifically designed for computer screens,” says Bradley, “so they are easier to read at smaller sizes.”

Your Navigation Menu

Typically users don’t read, they skim—so the more straightforward your navigation tabs are, the better, says Bradley. For example, if you’re working on a personal site (think, a blog or an online portfolio of your work), it’s makes more sense to have a tab that reads “About Me” rather than one that says “411.” The same goes for tabs that direct people to clips. A tab labeled “Clips” or “My Work” reads much better than “My Favs” or “The Goods.”

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